


Only Just a Little Awkward

by river_soul



Series: Only Just a Little Awkward [2]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-30
Updated: 2014-05-30
Packaged: 2018-01-27 03:22:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1713110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/river_soul/pseuds/river_soul
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They’re on P3x-591 when he finally realizes it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Only Just a Little Awkward

“What do you think his tattoo means? The one on his neck?” Someone asks from his right and Lorne looks up, surprised to see the empty half of his table has been filled with a group of gaggling female scientists. They’re huddled close together in a manner that’s disturbingly juvenile, speaking in half whispers that he thinks are a little too loud for the definition. He can recognize a few of them, Dr. Kelly from Botany and the red head from engineering whose name first name is Kimdy or Bambi or something equally ridiculous. They don't seem to notice his presence or that the object of their discussion is merely a few feet away, seemingly engrossed in a conversation with Weir.

“It doesn’t matter what it means Mindy,” _ha_ , he thinks, as Dr. Simpson finally speaks up. “What I want to know is if he has anymore and exactly where they are,” she giggles, arching her eyebrow suggestively. “Oh,” one of the women squeals, actually _squeals_ , next to him and Lorne winces, ear drums ringing. He isn’t sure how much longer he can stand hearing just how _lovely Ronon Dex’s shoulders are, how manly he is and oh wouldn't you just love to be that fork_ when Lorne spots Novak across the room.

She’s sitting by herself, lunch barely touched, clearly more interested in the laptop then any of the conversations going on around her. He isn't sure if he'd be welcome, she seems occupied, but Portman and Stackhouse are off world and silence is better than hearing about Dex's desirable attributes.

It only takes her a minute to realize he's hovering over her but she doesn't look up as she gestures to the empty seat across from her, a small _hmm_ passing between her thin lips as she types quickly, frowning. “Major,” she says finally, just when he thinks she was going to ignore him. “I didn’t want to lose my train of thought,” she explains, pursing her lips in a nervous gesture. “The food on the Daedalus is awful,” she says just when the silence has dragged on long enough to become uncomfortable. “That’s why I’m here,” she clarifies.

“Ah,” he says and looks at the untouched blue Jell-O resting on her plate. It makes him think of the infirmary and her stitches. There is a smudge of grease along her chin and he can see a small part of her healing scar, angry and red curve along her neck. He wants to say something.

“Do you have a pencil on you?” she asks so suddenly that Lorne blinks.

“No,” he says watching her bemused expression. “But you do,” he answers and the confused expression she gives him makes him smile as he reaches over to pluck the pencil tucked within the mass of her hair before she can protest. “Here,” he says with a grin.

“Oh,” she exclaims, looking surprised by its presence. She probably is, he thinks with a sudden, unexpected flood of affection.

\--

They’re on P3x-591 when he finally realizes it.

Lorne can just make her out in the distance, blue jumpsuit bunched around her middle, a pale sheen of sweat along her bare arms. It’s hot and humid and the rest of her team is spread out across the ruins of the temple, doing whatever it was engineers did. He doesn’t know the specifics of what they’re working on but between everyone’s excited babbling about ZPMs and Dr. McKay he thinks it has something to do with a fancy new power supply. That would make life easier and they could all use some good luck he thinks, blinking sweat out of his eyes.

The sun is high and bright and when he looks to Novak again he already knows she’s probably forgotten sunscreen. She’s too busy with half a dozen other things and Lorne is halfway across the field before he realizes what he’s doing. _Well huh_ he thinks and she turns around when he’s close enough with a surprised and self-conscious little smile on her face. Her cheeks are red from effort and there is a faint pink hue to her shoulders and forearms as she hugs her waist in discomfort with his presence. “Major?” she asks tiredly but he can tell she’s pleased with the work.

“I thought-uh- you might need some sunscreen,” he says lamely, tripping over his words, something he hasn’t done since high school.

She blinks at him. “Oh thanks. I don’t know where mine is, I mean I thought I brought it but maybe I didn’t. Are you hot?” she asks abruptly. “You have all that gear on. You have to be hot,” she starts and he lets her ramble for a few minutes and tries not to notice the way her shirt, damp with sweat, is clinging to her skin.

“Thanks,” she says with a smile and he’s pretty sure she didn’t notice his little bout of staring because her stance isn’t self-conscious _enough_. There is a nervous flutter of her hands, something he’s notice she does when they don’t have a place but it’s nothing like the mortification he saw on her face when she ended up straddling him during the mandatory self defense training that all the off world scientists had to participate in.

He’d found it amusing then but now it’s him who feels awkward in the face of their silence. Lorne feels compelled to say something _anything_ , because how stupid is it to come over here just to give her his sunscreen? “You know how much longer doc?” he says, thinking it sounds good, professional.

“Maybe an hour. I want to take some of this stuff back with us,” she tells him and her brow crinkles just so.

He nods. “I’ll let Atlantis know,” Lorne says and that’s a good enough goodbye.

He’s halfway back and rehashing their conversation when he senses his anger at himself start to peak. He feels off balance, disorganized when he rejoins his team in the shade and there is something he can’t shake. It takes him a while to realize it’s insecurity and now _that’s_ something he hasn’t felt in a long time with a woman.

“You know,” Stackhouse starts from beside him when he returns to the base camp but Lorne is only half listening, still thinking about the sun screen and Jesus he could do better then that. “That Dr. Novak woman?” and now Lorne sharpens up, head cocked just so. “She’s pretty good lookin for an egghead.”

“Although as much as it pains me, I think Stackhouse might be right,” Portman adds, voice decidedly casual and that’s when Lorne knows he’s in trouble. “She’s not half bad, huh, Major?” he asks.

“I wouldn’t know,” Lorne replies neutrally, managing to sound bored. There. That sounded convincing enough. Maybe. Hopefully.

“Really?” Taylor asks.

_Shit._

“Yes, Really,” Lorne responds and tries not to sound annoyed. He’s supposed to be indifferent. He _is_ indifferent he tells himself.

“Oh Major Lorne,” Stackhouse starts in a false falsetto, “whatever can I do to repay you for the sunscreen?”

“No thanks is needed Ma’am, it’s my job,” Portman responds in a pretty startling imitation of Lorne’s drawl. He even manages the self-depreciating smile that Lorne had prided himself on.

“Oh Major,” Stackhouse breathes in a disturbingly high voice. When he bats his eyelashes at Portman Taylor jumps in, a bemused smirk on his face.

“All right you two. Lets cut out the story time. Go take a perimeter patrol and for God’s sake stay away from Dr. Novak,” he warns. He tries to look stern, but Lorne can read the laughter in the crinkle of his eyes as he watches Stackhouse and Portman (still imitating him and Novak) until they turn the corner.

“They don’t mean any harm by it sir,” Taylor finally says when the other men are gone. “It’s just-” he starts and falters when Lorne fixes him with an even gaze. “It’s pretty obvious she likes you if you don’t mind me saying sir.” Taylor finishes quickly enough to know that Lorne _does_ mind. “I think we all know you could do with a little intelligence,” he adds not so subtly with a cocked brow.

Lorne tries not to smile. He wouldn’t take the teasing from anyone else but these men are his team, they’ve been through hell together and that tends to give them the right for a little ribbing. That doesn’t mean he has to take it quietly though. He’ll think of creative ways to pay them back later but for now he settles on the patented talk that he’s given in the past when women have expressed interest in him. “Dr. Novak is a coworker, nothing more, and although she may be smart she isn’t too tuned into common sense,” he says and there is a touch of warmth in his tone. “Besides, if she doesn’t return to Atlantis in the same condition she left in I’ll catch hell from Caldwell.”

“She’s still way smarter then you though sir,” Taylor adds with a laugh.

“She probably is,” Lorne admits, gaze lingering on her slim figure in the distance.

\--

He goes the next day to her lab on the Daedalus, waits until its lunchtime when he knows most of the staff will be gone. At least he hopes. He isn’t sure if Asguards take lunch breaks but he knows he doesn’t want an audience for this. “Hey doc?” He asks, knuckles dragging lightly across the doorframe, trying not to look like he’s caging the place. “Got a minute?”

“Oh Major Lorne! Come in,” she urges, hands full of wires as he steps across the threshold and notices that _thank god_ they’re alone. “I was just finishing something up,” she interrupts his thoughts. “What can I help you with?”

“I was wondering if you were free later today.”

“I have time right now if you need help,” she offers.

“I don’t need help,” he says with a grin. “I was wondering if _you were free_ ,” he repeats himself slowly, watching her carefully.

“Oh,” she says. “Oh,” and he has to try not to laugh at the befuddled expression on her face. “Of course,” she says and pinkens. “I mean yes.”

“Good. How does a picnic on the mainland sound? I know it’s a little campy but-”

“-That’d be nice Major,” she cuts in and Lorne grins.

“You can call me Evan.”

“Lindsey,” she returns.

“Well good then,” he says, heading for the door before he can say something stupid. “It’s a date then.”

“Yup,” she says brightly and he thinks she’s about to say something else but thinks better of it. There is another moment of awkwardness, of staring and not knowing what to do with her hands when she speaks. “I’ve got uh-” she says and swallows hard, pointing to something beyond her shoulder that looks vaguely like the schematic of the Deadalus star drive.

“Yeah. I have a debriefing,” he says as he clears his throat and wonders why he’s still standing in her lab. “I’ll see you at five in hanger one,” he tells her and feels a bolt of pleasure that accompanies her embarrassed little smile.

\--

It starts raining ten minutes after they land and it’s not the pretty rainbows and fresh smell of the ozone rain but the blackened sky and _the apocalypse is coming_ rain that pelts down loudly on the puddle jumper. He forgot a blanket and the floor of the jumper is cold and uncomfortable. He’s at a loss of where to go because they’re sitting across from each other, awkwardly eating the food from the picnic basket.

“I didn’t think picnic baskets were a first rate priority for the Atlantis Expedition,” Lindsey says after a moment and Lorne grins.

“They’re not. It’s Athosian. I borrowed it from Teyla.”

“Oh,” she says and he realizes belatedly how effectively he’s cut off the opening she gave him to make conversation. She sighs a little, eating her sandwich dejectedly and he wonders where the constant stream of chatter she’s so keen on producing is.

“So,” he says and winces at the stiff tone of his voice. “I’m sorry. This isn’t going very well,” he tries for honesty and wonders when he got so old. This used to be easy for him, he knew how to turn on the charm and the smile but with her he’s pretty sure the playful flyboy act isn’t going to garner any appreciation. Honesty can’t be any worse he thinks.

“No it’s ok. The food is good,” she offers him brightly before chewing on the edge of her lips uncertainly. She clears her throat, watching him for a moment oddly and warning prickles in his brain just as she starts to talk. “You could kiss me, that might help,” she offers, resolutely trying not to make eye contact.

Her suggestion takes Lorne by surprise but it probably shouldn’t. He still isn’t sure what to make of her daring statement though. “Uh,” is the only thing he can manage dumbly and she turns bright red with embarrassment.

“Oh God,” she says and before she can get anything else out Lorne is out of his seat and beside her, trying awkwardly to kiss her but her mouth is already open and she’s trying to talk and ok he thinks, _that could have gone smoother._

Novak starts to laugh when he pulls away and Lorne tries to look properly offended at the prospect because he was trying. “That was horrible,” she says after a moment, still holding her sandwich.

“Well if you’d stop _talking,_ ” he tries emphatically, “it might be easier. I’m pretty good I’ll have you know.”

“Uh-hu.” She says unconvinced and there is a glimmer of humor in her eyes.

“I’ve never had any complaints before,” he says with mock hurt, pleased at their banter. It’s better then the silence which he can see fast approaching again. There is a slight tremble in her hand that rests naturally on his shoulder but her grip is firm, reassuring. Her eyes are bright, pupils dilated and he can read the uncertainty in the downward slope of her lips. “Now. Stop. Talking.” He commands and it takes a few minutes of fumbling for a position that works without their noses bumping.

She’s soft and pliant in his arms, making little pleased sounds at the back of her throat, and when she leans forward assertively he feels something in his stomach tighten with pleasure. He grips her waist and they suffer through another clumsy attempt when he tries to draw her onto his lap. Her legs are long and the bench is narrow, and Lorne is starting to realize she is a good problem solver when she manages to settle herself on his lap sideways without breaking the kiss.

She pulls away eventually; licks her lips and he takes in the pinkened skin around her mouth and chin. She blinks and he finds he can’t quite wipe the stupid grin off his face. “Better?” he inquires.

“We’ll have to try again,” she explain, voice pleasantly breathy. “A good experiment requires a lot of data.”

“I’ve always been a big fan of the scientific method,” he says and she rolls her eyes before she lets him kiss her again until the rain stops.

\--

Conversation is sporadic on the flight back, switching between light teasing and the awkward discussion of _where is this going_. “I’d like to see more of you,” he say when Atlantis appears in the distance in a way that makes her think of the old courting gesture her grandmother talked about.

“Sure,” she tells him, perplexed. This is new and it shouldn’t be. She stays calm by going through the schematics in her lab, convincing herself that this is a good idea. She was here for a while even if Caldwell had been reluctant to give her up (she likes to imagine that Hermiod was too, even if he only blinked in annoyance when he realized she’d been loaned out to Atlantis for work on their ZPM’s).

“I’m not really sure how this is all supposed to work,” she says finally and for a moment he looks stricken and she hurriedly adds, “dating military personal and being, um a civilian. It’s been a while,” she adds lamely before she realizes what that sounded like. “I’ve had sex before,” she blurts out suddenly and _dear God maybe the puddle jumper will crash tragically before we land,_ she prays silently.

Lorne’s lips twitch but he keeps his face still. It takes him a moment to decide what approach to take with her. “Hey,” he offers, voice soft and hand warm when he touches her fidgeting hands. “This can be as complicated as you want it to be,” he assures her, thumb stroking the sensitive skin of her knuckles. “While I can’t promise some of our future dates won’t involve gunfire and wraith,” he offers with a dry smile, “we’ll take it slow, see where it goes.”

“I’d like that,” she breathes and he doesn’t let go of her hand until he drops her off outside the Daedalus with a quick, warm kiss on the corner of her mouth. “I’ll see you later,” she says and for the first time since he’s met her there is a note of certainty in her voice as her warm hand lingers on his shoulder.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Also, new [tumblr](http://river-soul.tumblr.com/) friends are always welcome!


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